The hurricane is now a Category 4 storm, which could prove catastrophic. The majority of the storm surge and rainfall issues are expected to remain for southeast North Carolina down into Charleston.

The National Hurricane Centre said it was a potentially catastrophic Category-4 storm, but was expected to keep drawing energy from the warm water and intensify to near Category 5, which means winds of 157 miles per hour or higher. It was located father north in the Atlantic than any other storm to ever hit the Carolinas, so what we're forecasting is unprecedented. Florence was expected to bring very heavy storm surge, rain and flooding to the entire region on Thursday, Friday and Saturday.

"Florence is intensifying", said North Carolina's Governor Roy Cooper, adding: "This storm is strong, and its gettings stronger". That funding can not be spent on disaster response, they said. The track also shifted somewhat south and west, throwing Georgia into peril as Florence moves inland.

"This is not going to be a glancing blow", Jeff Byard, an administrator with the Federal Emergency Management Agency, warned.

Deal's declaration Wednesday covers comes as the National Weather Service's storm forecast shows a chance that Florence's track might turn toward the southwest as it approaches the Carolinas later this week.

"We are hoping for the best and preparing for the worst", Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan said, noting that Florence could cause catastrophic flooding in his state.

The hurricane will weaken as it moves across land.

"This will be a storm that's going to be far larger than we have seen in perhaps decades", Trump said.

What's more certain is beach erosion and risky surf conditions.

Boeing Co suspended work on Tuesday at the SC plant where it assembles 787 widebody jetliners, and a Volvo automobile plant in South Carolina's evacuation zone was also closed, company officials said.

The major airlines out of Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport are bracing for Florence's impact on the east coast. Even if you've ridden out storms before, this one is different. Many areas in the low-lying city flood with routine rain storms, causing street closures and detours.

"I'm scared we'll get 30 inches or more of rain", said Carol Trojniar, 69, a longtime Wilmington resident and retired real estate agent who has never experienced a Category 4 hurricane.

North and SC and Virginia declared emergencies earlier in the week. A steady stream of vehicles filled with people and belongings is moving inland.

Advertisement

Related Posts

Stop Saying that Serena Williams is a 'Victim'
Even the International Tennis Federation (ITF ), which stood by the judges, waited 48 hours before announcing a position. Speaking on ESPN , McEnroe backed Serena , who called the chair umpire Carlos Ramos as a " thief ".

Auto ploughs into crowd in China killing several people
An SUV entered Binjiang square in Hengyang city, Hunan province, at 7.40pm local time Wednesday (5.40pm AEST). A local government statement described it as a "deliberate, malicious case of driving with intent to injure".

Windows 10 warns users not to install Chrome and Firefox
In a bid to claw back some much-needed market share, Microsoft is implementing a rather cheeky "feature" in its Edge browser. There's even a setting to turn annoying prompts like this off, and Microsoft is calling them "app recommendations".

Sam's Club Offers $100 Off iPhone Xs, iPhone Xs Max Buy
If you want a 2018 iPhone (and not the iPhone 8, 8 Plus or iPhone 7), you can keep a little more money in the bank. But hey! There's IP68 water resistance on offer here, and a new Gold color in addition to Silver and Space Gray.

California governor signs law for clean energy by 2045
At the signing ceremony , Brown also announced an executive order directing California to achieve carbon neutrality by 2045. This marks California as the second state to strive for a carbon-free, fossil fuel-free environment, second to Hawaii.

Gunman kills 5, self in Southern California rampage
Youngblood told reporters that 10 to 15 minutes elapsed from the first shooting until the gunman killed himself, KBAK-TV reports. The attacker then fatally shot two more men at another location, before hijacking a vehicle with a woman and a child on board.